8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
So many things afflicted the people at the that Paul was writing from. They were pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. In all these things though, in all these tacts of the devil, they were not destroyed, they were not abandoned, not in despair, and not crushed. All of these things must have been terribly miserable to deal with, and yet they persevered. They continued on sharing their message.
Time for practical application, think about this country. In many ways the people of this country are in trouble. There is financial hardship, there is scary talk in politics on moral issues, there is insecurity, fear, and struggle grip the nation. We sit and complain and wallow, the news media eating up every bit of it, preaching doom and gloom. Consumer fear grinds the spending to a halt. Drastic changes are proposed throughout the government at every level. Its being called the worse economic catastrophy since the Great Depression.
And yet, is it all really that bad? I never lived through the Great Depression, but I have met many people that have. I hear stories told about how bad things really were, and yet people banded together to help each other and they got through it, never expecting a government handout or anyone else to come to their rescue.
Here are exerpts from a letter my grandpa sent to my cousin about his experience with the Great Depression. None of this is intended to be political, but just to make you think:
"Dear Kyle,
I enjoyed visiting with you yesterday. I hope I was able to give you some information that will help you in your class. I thought more about it and thought I would give you a few more facts on how things were in the 1930's. You can compare those facts with where we are today and decide if we are better off.
For instance here are a few of the things we didn't have in the 1930's:
There was no unemployment benefits.
There was no social security
There was no medical insurance
There was no medicare
There was no medicaid
There was no food stamps
There was no aid to dependent children
There was no aid for housing credits
There were no loans for higher education
And on and on and on.
There was basically no help from any government agency. If a family needed help the neighbors or church members pitched in and helped out. My Dad worked for a dollar a day and was glad to have a job. Us kids entertained ourselves. We played ball on the streets or in back alleys. Some one would nail a goal to a barn and we would play basketball in all kinds of weather. None of us had any money but as kids we didn't know any better. We just had a good time with whatever toys we could make or borrow. If you had a bicycle you were really fortunate. My Dad finally bought me a used bike and I was the happiest kid in town. Most of my clothes were hand me downs from a friend of mine whose Dad was the principal of the school. Since he had a steady income he was able to buy new clothes for his son and I got to wear the ones he outgrew.
Love
Grandpa"
I understand that many in this country are really struggling right now, but do we have it anywhere close to that bad? And back then, did they have it as bad as the early Christians that were executed in brutal masses (being tied to horses running opposite directions, mauled by lions and wild animals, coated with tar and left to bake in the 100 degree heat and lit on fire in the evening to light the streets which brings new meaning to Christ saying we are the light of the world, amazingly though, the church grew because of the blood shed by the martyrs during this time). And the truly amazing thing is that these people in such terribly awful conditions rejoiced! They praised God! They were not destroyed or abandoned by God despite whatever else the world had in store for them! And they knew that they had eternal life waiting for them after this life. "So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." Praise God for this. Let us be joyful and pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and let us know that we have life! Life through Christ no matter what our circumstance or condition.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Philipians 2:5-11
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. It is a perfect model for how to live life, and also a perfect gospel testimony, and is also very poetic and flowing. All in all, I do not feel like it lacks anything.
It begins by stating that our attitude should be like that of Christs, in all situations, and in all times. Read the gospels, and that is what our attitude should be like. It continues though, saying that Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Christ was God! He was the living Son of God! He was both man and God! If anyone had claim to be equal with the Father, it is Christ! And yet he didn't. How then do we as lowly sinners expect to grasp equality with God? How then can we claim to know what is best for our lives or have any complaint against God?
So instead of taking equality with God, Christ went the complete opposite way with it, he humbled himself as a servant, and became obedient to God. He served and obeyed his entire life, and continued to serve and obey humbly on the same path that lead him on the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows (aka Way of the Cross), culminating in his innocent torture and death.
Now because Christ took the complete opposite life of glorification and power, and rather chose a life of humbelness and servitude, God exalted him! He raised him up, his name above all names! Because of his life, death, and resurrection, all mankind is saved. That is the gospel message amongst all of this. Because Chrsit did all this for us, we are saved and glorified with him as Saint Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:12 "We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
So we see that through all this, Christ is raised up because of the life he lived, all to the glory of God the Father. I pray that each of us lead lives bringing glory to God the Father as well, through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior
6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. It is a perfect model for how to live life, and also a perfect gospel testimony, and is also very poetic and flowing. All in all, I do not feel like it lacks anything.
It begins by stating that our attitude should be like that of Christs, in all situations, and in all times. Read the gospels, and that is what our attitude should be like. It continues though, saying that Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Christ was God! He was the living Son of God! He was both man and God! If anyone had claim to be equal with the Father, it is Christ! And yet he didn't. How then do we as lowly sinners expect to grasp equality with God? How then can we claim to know what is best for our lives or have any complaint against God?
So instead of taking equality with God, Christ went the complete opposite way with it, he humbled himself as a servant, and became obedient to God. He served and obeyed his entire life, and continued to serve and obey humbly on the same path that lead him on the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows (aka Way of the Cross), culminating in his innocent torture and death.
Now because Christ took the complete opposite life of glorification and power, and rather chose a life of humbelness and servitude, God exalted him! He raised him up, his name above all names! Because of his life, death, and resurrection, all mankind is saved. That is the gospel message amongst all of this. Because Chrsit did all this for us, we are saved and glorified with him as Saint Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:12 "We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
So we see that through all this, Christ is raised up because of the life he lived, all to the glory of God the Father. I pray that each of us lead lives bringing glory to God the Father as well, through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Greatest 3 Word Phrase
What do you think the greatest three word phrase in history is? Well any ideas? Perhaps it is something funny a friend said or a phrase that your mother or father has instilled on you. The first thing that came to mind for me is the phrase “I love you.” I thought this is a valid phrase and a rather important one at that point . . . until I found one that has become even more important to me. You may be thinking, what on Earth could be greater than “I love you?” How about I give you a hint:
“I know that My Redeemer lives!
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living head!”
Well, did that help any? To me the phrase “Christ has Risen!” is a much more important phrase. Beginning to elaborate look at a few more phrases in the song “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.” Verse two says “He lives triumphant from the grave, He lives eternally to save.” Without Christ’s birth death and resurrection we would have no need for love on this Earth because we would all have nothing to live for. Because of his death we have victory over sin, death and the devil. Because of his death we too can love one another just as He loves us.
As I continue to think about it the two go hand in hand. Look at John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have everlasting life.” Because God so loved the world, that is us! He loved us so much that He gave his only begotten Son, to live on this earth and to die for each and every one of us, so that we who have trust and faith in Him can spend eternity in heaven. Showing again Christ’s great love for us through His death it is stated in 1 Timothy 1:15 that “Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.” Even more so look at Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We continually fall into the fate of sin, and yet when each and every one of us were still sinners (especially since none of us will ever be perfect) Christ died for us. We are as far from perfect as possible and Christ was still there to die for our sins, to give us eternal life. What great love that is!
So now that I have talked my way through circles I seem to think that one without the other is worthless, but for some reason, “He is Risen” still hits more to home for me. Maybe it is because Christ came to serve, not to be served. Again another statement of love, He knew that His purpose on this Earth was eventually to suffer and die on the cross for us. It is continually stated how Christ gave his life as a ransom for many. Such an important task, even when Jesus knew his father’s will. What can we do to show our gratitude? This is where it all gets tied together, with the greatest commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” These are the two greatest commandments and are a great way in which we can show our thanks for Christ dying on the cross for us.
1 Corinthians 13:13 “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I don’t know if I am even on the right track saying that “He is Risen” is more important than “I love you.” Perhaps it just hits me more. But what I do know is that I don’t remember either often enough. This Easter season I have made it my goal to recognize the resurrection and the love that Christ has for me every day and I pray that you also work to this goal. I leave you with the lyrics from a Casting Crowns song titled “Who am I?” which really show how lucky we are to have the love of Christ!
Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.
Bridge:
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.
Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am yours..
I am yours..
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Triumph! Easter Joy!
Luke 24:5-7 The angels standing in the tomb said to them, " 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."
The Son of Man was supposed to suffer and die. The Son of Man was supposed to take our place on the cross. And he did all of that and more. The Son of Man was also supposed to be raised back to life on the third day, and he did. All that he was supposed to do, the Son of Man, Christ Jesus, fulfilled. By this act he saved all who believe in him, and gives us life through Him, because He too was raised!
1 Corinthians15:17-22; 55-56"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man...Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
So we see that the resurrection of Christ is the culmination of all our faith! He suffered for us, for our sins, but all that would have been for naught had Christ not been raised. Our joy is complete though because we know he was raised! By raising Christ, God accepts his sacrifice and atonement for our sins and gives us life. Death is no more! We as Christians are victorious! As Paul says in Romans, "we are more than victorious!" Ours is the joy that is beyond any other joy. We are triumphant! When I hear the Easter hymns, and Alleluias it moves me inside, Christ has won, he has triumphed over the grave, over the devil, and over sin. No more is man separated from God, but we are now connected with Him in Christ! Praise be to Christ! The triumph is ours! The joy is ours!
As my pastor said in his sermon, "He is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! Through his resurrection though, we can also say, 'We are risen!' Praise be to Christ for this!
The Son of Man was supposed to suffer and die. The Son of Man was supposed to take our place on the cross. And he did all of that and more. The Son of Man was also supposed to be raised back to life on the third day, and he did. All that he was supposed to do, the Son of Man, Christ Jesus, fulfilled. By this act he saved all who believe in him, and gives us life through Him, because He too was raised!
1 Corinthians15:17-22; 55-56"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man...Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
So we see that the resurrection of Christ is the culmination of all our faith! He suffered for us, for our sins, but all that would have been for naught had Christ not been raised. Our joy is complete though because we know he was raised! By raising Christ, God accepts his sacrifice and atonement for our sins and gives us life. Death is no more! We as Christians are victorious! As Paul says in Romans, "we are more than victorious!" Ours is the joy that is beyond any other joy. We are triumphant! When I hear the Easter hymns, and Alleluias it moves me inside, Christ has won, he has triumphed over the grave, over the devil, and over sin. No more is man separated from God, but we are now connected with Him in Christ! Praise be to Christ! The triumph is ours! The joy is ours!
As my pastor said in his sermon, "He is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! Through his resurrection though, we can also say, 'We are risen!' Praise be to Christ for this!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Passing Over
The tenth and final plague, the plague on the firstborn male of all humans and animals. No one was exempt from this. However, there is a meal still served today that commemorates the one way around this terrible fate. This meal is called Passover, because the Angel of Death passed over the houses of the Israelites that followed the instructions of the Lord. The instructions were to put the blood of a lamb - a perfect lamb without any defect or blemish - on the door frame of each house. When the Angel of Death saw the blood it would pass over that house. The book of Exodus chapter 12 verse 13 tells us, "the blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you."
On the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus gave us a new set of instructions for the passover. He told us that he is the new Passover Lamb. He is the lamb without defect or blemish, and it is his blood that is now placed on our hearts. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Our wretched sinful souls are passed over from certain eternal damnation because of the blood of the Paschal Lamb.
Really this is but an extension from the previous post, "Bondage," and represents again the connection of Christ to the Old Testament, specifically the Passover and exodus from Egypt, and seems especially pertinent in this season of the Passover and Easter. Praise be to God for providing us yet again with the lamb of sacrifice.
On the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus gave us a new set of instructions for the passover. He told us that he is the new Passover Lamb. He is the lamb without defect or blemish, and it is his blood that is now placed on our hearts. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Our wretched sinful souls are passed over from certain eternal damnation because of the blood of the Paschal Lamb.
Really this is but an extension from the previous post, "Bondage," and represents again the connection of Christ to the Old Testament, specifically the Passover and exodus from Egypt, and seems especially pertinent in this season of the Passover and Easter. Praise be to God for providing us yet again with the lamb of sacrifice.
Bondage
Hundreds of years before a certain Jewish baby would be born in a small town in Israel, and hundreds of years before that baby would die on a tree and be raised again to life, the chosen people of God were in bondage, enslaved by the Egyptians.
The ancient Israelites were forced into hard labor and were terribly oppressed. The book of Exodus chapter one, verses 12, 13, and 14 tell us that "...the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly." In all ways, the Israelites were completely helpless and without hope. They had been enslaved for hundreds of years, they had no hope of rescue, they had no hope of winning their freedom on their own. Their situation was bleak, they were in complete and total bondage.
Into this scene comes Moses. I certainly will not try to tell his whole entire story here, though I know of a good book that contains it if his story interests you, its called the Bible. Instead I would like to focus on Moses' purpose for coming into this rather dark and depressing scene. God had called Moses from the desert and told him to go back to Egypt. Through Moses, God displayed his power to the world and to the Egyptians. God rescued the Israelites from their plight. God broke the chains of their oppressor and defeated the Egyptians. The Israelites had no part in this what so ever except to watch and be amazed and the wonders they were beholding. They did not take part in the fight in any way, rather they were carried out of Egypt from their beaten down state by the very Hand of God. God had saved them from their state of bondage.
Hundreds of years after this event, the world is in a state of turmoil. Once again, the people of the world are in bondage, to the Romans. However, this time - as had been the case since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden - the people were in a different type of bondage, a bondage to sin. They were once again helpless in their fight against their oppressor, being sin, death, and the devil. In no way did they ever have hope of defeating their oppressor. As Paul puts it in Romans 7 verse 14, they had been "sold as a slave to sin," much in the same way that the Israelites had been enslaved to the Egyptians.
Into this scene comes Jesus the Christ, the living Son of God, the Redeemer and breaker of the bonds of sin! Christ came into the world and through his perfect life that he lived, through his innocent suffering and death on the cross, and through his being raised to life and ascending to heaven, he defeated sin, death, and the devil! He brought hope to the hopeless and carried the people of the world out of bondage and into the grace of God. Romans 6 illustrates this better than I ever could.
Almost two thousand years later, the world is still tormented by sin and will continue to be until the final day when Christ shall come again. We know that we are freed from sin and from death and from the devil. We still know that sin lives in the world, and that we will one day die, and that the devil is still on the prowl. We also know that through the grace of God we are forgiven of our sins through Christ Jesus, and that although we shall indeed die, we shall also be raised from death when Christ comes again, and that although Satan still prowls, his is not the victory, rather Christ's is the victory!
How then shall we go on living this life as both sinner and saint, dead to sin yet made alive in Christ? Through Christ we know that we are empowered to fight sin our oppressor. What sin is oppressing us right now? What sorrow eats away at us? What darkness do we hide within ourselves? To what are you in bondage? Do you believe that Christ frees you from it? I pray that you and that I believe that Christ does, so that we may turn from our sin and follow the path of righteousness freed from bondage, until that day when He shall come again when we shall live with him forever and ever! Amen.
The ancient Israelites were forced into hard labor and were terribly oppressed. The book of Exodus chapter one, verses 12, 13, and 14 tell us that "...the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly." In all ways, the Israelites were completely helpless and without hope. They had been enslaved for hundreds of years, they had no hope of rescue, they had no hope of winning their freedom on their own. Their situation was bleak, they were in complete and total bondage.
Into this scene comes Moses. I certainly will not try to tell his whole entire story here, though I know of a good book that contains it if his story interests you, its called the Bible. Instead I would like to focus on Moses' purpose for coming into this rather dark and depressing scene. God had called Moses from the desert and told him to go back to Egypt. Through Moses, God displayed his power to the world and to the Egyptians. God rescued the Israelites from their plight. God broke the chains of their oppressor and defeated the Egyptians. The Israelites had no part in this what so ever except to watch and be amazed and the wonders they were beholding. They did not take part in the fight in any way, rather they were carried out of Egypt from their beaten down state by the very Hand of God. God had saved them from their state of bondage.
Hundreds of years after this event, the world is in a state of turmoil. Once again, the people of the world are in bondage, to the Romans. However, this time - as had been the case since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden - the people were in a different type of bondage, a bondage to sin. They were once again helpless in their fight against their oppressor, being sin, death, and the devil. In no way did they ever have hope of defeating their oppressor. As Paul puts it in Romans 7 verse 14, they had been "sold as a slave to sin," much in the same way that the Israelites had been enslaved to the Egyptians.
Into this scene comes Jesus the Christ, the living Son of God, the Redeemer and breaker of the bonds of sin! Christ came into the world and through his perfect life that he lived, through his innocent suffering and death on the cross, and through his being raised to life and ascending to heaven, he defeated sin, death, and the devil! He brought hope to the hopeless and carried the people of the world out of bondage and into the grace of God. Romans 6 illustrates this better than I ever could.
Almost two thousand years later, the world is still tormented by sin and will continue to be until the final day when Christ shall come again. We know that we are freed from sin and from death and from the devil. We still know that sin lives in the world, and that we will one day die, and that the devil is still on the prowl. We also know that through the grace of God we are forgiven of our sins through Christ Jesus, and that although we shall indeed die, we shall also be raised from death when Christ comes again, and that although Satan still prowls, his is not the victory, rather Christ's is the victory!
How then shall we go on living this life as both sinner and saint, dead to sin yet made alive in Christ? Through Christ we know that we are empowered to fight sin our oppressor. What sin is oppressing us right now? What sorrow eats away at us? What darkness do we hide within ourselves? To what are you in bondage? Do you believe that Christ frees you from it? I pray that you and that I believe that Christ does, so that we may turn from our sin and follow the path of righteousness freed from bondage, until that day when He shall come again when we shall live with him forever and ever! Amen.
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